Instructional Tours for Students of Forestry

Abstract

THOUGH the study tours of the Oxford Forestry School, and perhaps also those of other schools, offer opportunities to forest officers who have had their training outside Europe to obtain a first-hand acquaintance with some of the standard systems of forestry in France, Germany and Switzerland, the fact remains that the officers in question have to go outside the Institute for these facilities. The disturbing thing is that there is nothing in the declared policy of the Institute to encourage them to do so; rather are such tours criticized on the ground that ” the highly specialized forms of forestry seen have little application to average conditions overseas”. Prof. Troup says ” it is hoped that the new policy of the Imperial Forestry Institute will in no way prevent those who may desire to do so from obtaining a grounding in, or refreshing their knowledge of, the essential principles of European forestry”. It is felt that this is not sufficient and that something more positive is required. It was because of the fear that the value of a sound training in European forestry as an equipment for tackling the special forestry problems of the various parts of the Empire is being minimized, that adverse comment was passed upon the policy of the Institute in this particular.